Blank Slate
by booboo45
Summary: Regina is a celebrity who has, through an anonymous Facebook account, been messaging Emma.
1. Chapter 1

Regina climbed the staircase of her apartment building with heavy steps after yet another long day. She couldn't wait for a relaxing night in, maybe a soaking bath before settling in front of her computer.

Finally entering her apartment, she went straight to the kitchen, poured herself a glass of wine and took a drink out of the glass. She let out a long sigh before putting the glass down. The laptop on the coffee table caught her eye, the laptop which had become associated with her new favorite pastime: Emma. Emma who didn't know who she was. Emma who befriended a complete stranger. Emma with the beautiful smile. Emma who if she had all the facts and knew she was would probably want nothing to do with her and all the drama that came along with who she was.

On second thought, maybe she would skip the bath and go straight on the computer and indulge in a healthy dose of bittersweet torture. It was rare for her, yearning after something that she might not ever have. It was never supposed to happen. She just wanted to let Emma know that she had the most beautiful smile that turned her cheeks into adorable little apples. After all, she couldn't be blamed for how Emma received the compliment. Apparently, compliments like that were rare and Emma's eye was caught as Regina's had been. She had had good intentions, innocent intentions as it were. At least to begin with. But with every interaction, Regina wanted more. How couldn't she? Emma had the smile, the wit, the laughter, the kindness, the everything.

She would just quickly check in. Maybe Emma wouldn't be online. But who was she kidding? These days everyone had Facebook on their phones. No one could ever really be offline.

She grabbed her wine once more and took a sip as she took a seat on the couch. Finding the control for the stereo she played whatever cd was currently in it which happened to be soft jazz.

The computer showed her Facebook page as soon as she opened it, a definite sign that perhaps she frequented it a bit too much.

"Here goes…" She said to herself.

 **Hi.**

She took another sip of wine as a minute passed. Another minute lead her to Google, which in turn showed her all the latest gossip about her. She knew that it was a bad idea. It was always a bad idea to google herself, but she just couldn't help herself. Needless to say, that most, if not all, of the things written about her wasn't true, but she still wanted to know what people were reading about her, what people reading it were made to believe about her. Thankfully before she dove too far into the gossip, she was saved from the seven hells of the tabloids by the familiar ding of a message received on Facebook.

 ** _Hey yourself. I was actually hoping to talk to you tonight._**

Regina caught herself smiling. She had been doing that a lot more lately and she was well aware of the reason. It had started when she and Emma had first started talking. It was such a peculiar way to meet. She had just wanted an anonymous account, where she only befriended her closest friends and family, and where she didn't have a million notifications every day. It was basically a clean slate. A completely empty profile that she could do with as she wished. It was the most refreshing thing, and it was something she hadn't realized that she had been lacking. Then Facebook had decided to suggest friends based on peoples' proximity to her location. And then lo and behold, there she was.

The moment she saw Emma's tiny profile picture in that suggestion list she knew that she had to message her, or live to regret it. In truth, the whole thing had been out of her hands. She couldn't be held responsible for the knee-jerk-reaction she had to the picture Facebook shoved in her face. If anyone was to blame, it was Facebook.

Several messages exchanged, a friend request sent, and many more messages after that and here they were. She hadn't expected it to get this far. She couldn't have known that she would, they would both, be in this deep. And through it all, she couldn't help thinking whether the conversations would have been the same if she wasn't using her anonymous account. She would wonder if Emma would've made the same jokes, talked about herself in the same manner and asked the same things about her as she had if she had known who she was actually talking to. More than anything, she would wonder if Emma would ever have known her as intimately as she does now, known her better than anyone ever has or ever wanted to know her, if she had known that Regina was a celebrity in disguise. And she would dread the answer to those questions.

 **I feel like I should be concerned.**

 ** _No, not at all._**

 ** _It's just…_**

 **Don't leave me in suspense now.**

 ** _Well, you know how we've been talking for a couple of months now and how it's been great?_**

 ** _At least, it has been great for me and I mean I hope that it's been great for you too, cause that would be pretty great…_**

 **Emma, you're rambling. And it has been great.**

 ** _Yeah, and I thought maybe…_**

 ** _Maybe you'd want to meet up. I mean I see you in pictures all the time and you see me, we talk on the phone and it's wonderful, but I can't help wanting to meet you and see everything happen live so to speak._**

She should, indeed, have been concerned. Somehow she had managed to keep her identity hidden from Emma. All she could do was thank God for her glasses and the fact that Emma seemed to be so far from expecting a celebrity that she just assumed that there wasn't one to begin with. It was funny how far the mind would go to give the most logical explanations for things that may seems farfetched.

If they were to meet up as Emma had suggested, Emma would be sure to notice the paparazzi following her around. Regina was not ashamed of who she was. She had worked hard to get to where she was now. She was, however, afraid. In the time spent with Emma, she had managed to grow attached and she feared another heartbreak. Emma brought back the spring in her steps and Emma could take that away again. She wanted the spring and the smiles, and more than anything she wanted the touches. She wanted Emma, in real life, on Facebook, on the phone, in any way she was allowed; in any way Emma wanted her, if she wanted her…

 ** _Are you still there?_**

 **Yes. Sorry.**

 **Maybe we should meet, as you say.**

 ** _So that's a yes?_**

 ** _I may or may not have just squealed._**

 **There's something I'm worried about though.**

Should she tell her now and give her some time to prepare before seeing her? Maybe she wouldn't even want to see her if she knew? Or should she keep it a secret and hope that maybe Emma just wanted the person despite the fame? After all, she hadn't lied per se, unless omission counted as a lie. Which Regina didn't.

 ** _And what's that?_**

 **Whether you'll be able to keep your hands off me or not.**

 ** _Ha ha ha, I could say the same._**

 **You would indeed have to worry, because I can let you know right now: I won't be able to keep my hands off you. You have managed to take my breath away in every way possible thus far; I doubt seeing you in real life will be any different.**

 ** _You're too charming for your own good._**

 ** _So when do you want to do this thing?_**

It seemed Emma had her mind set on making a date as soon as possible, while Regina wanted to postpone it as much as possible and delay what could possibly become one of her worst days yet. But on the other side of the coin, she wanted more than anything to see, talk and touch Emma all at the same time.

 **Are you available on Friday?**

 ** _Free as a bird. Dinner?_**

 **It's a date. I'll make reservations and text you the address.**

 ** _I can't wait._**

 **Me neither.**

A content smile graced Regina's red lips.

 **I have to go to bed since I have an early day tomorrow.**

 **Sweet dreams, Emma.**

 ** _Goodnight, Regina._**

As she went to take a drink from her glass, she noticed that her once exceedingly full glass was now empty. How she hadn't noticed was beyond her. But then again, Emma always managed to engross her in any conversation leaving the world around her a background buzz.

She rinsed the glass and left it in the dish washer before dragging herself to her bedroom. Despite the concerns she had about meeting Emma, the anticipation she felt overwhelmed any other emotion. She was going to meet the woman she may very well be in love with and the fear and hope she felt simultaneously left her in a bittersweet state of mind.

She stripped off her red dress followed by her bra and underwear before slipping into the warmth of her bed.

Meeting Emma was a good thing. It had to be. No matter what happened, no matter what her feelings were about it, meeting Emma was a good thing. And after Friday she would know either way. After Friday she would either be the happiest she had ever been or quite possibly the most miserable she had ever been. Either way she would know.


	2. Chapter 2

There was no way around it; Emma was a nervous wreck. She had tried on all the dresses she had in her closet, which were a grand total of five, including a sixth one that she had purchased on a whim earlier in the day since she knew that this dilemma would arise. Of course she would have nothing to wear, even though she clearly had everything to wear.

With little to no time left, she finally settled for a soft blue, knee-length summer dress. The place she had made reservations with was only borderline-fancy anyway. But she did want to look good, more so for herself than anything else. It had been easy to be confident over the internet and the phone. But face-to-face was a whole other story. Making sure that her appearance was up to par would be critical. She knew she had several features that were widely considered attractive, therefore she would have more to be confident about. If all went as planned, that confidence would outweigh her numerous clumsy traits. Or so she hoped.

As she stood in front of her hallway mirror contemplating her appearance she had two choices: be late and fuss over her make-up and her dress and finally decide that maybe her overall appearance was satisfactory to begin with or she could just leave right away, be on time and save herself from yet another reason to feel stressed. A minute later, she was making the ten-minute drive to the restaurant in her trusty bug.

When Regina had messaged her yesterday telling her that she was swamped and quite literally unable to find a free minute in her schedule, Emma had been worried that maybe she was going to cancel. Much to her excitement, or her anxiety depending on what minute of the day you caught her, she had only wanted her to do the reservations. Not that Emma minded, it gave her the opportunity to choose the location herself which consequently meant that she wouldn't have to go to a fancy ass restaurant where she would immediately feel out of place. But then again, maybe Regina would have taken her to a McDonalds. Regina's choice in restaurants was just one of the many things she was hoping she would come to learn.

She tentatively entered the restaurant after taking several deep breaths.

"You got this," she thought, repeatedly.

"Good evening and welcome to L'avenir. Do you have a reservation?" The hostess greeted her with a friendly smile.

"Yeah, reservation under Emma Swan."

"Right this way, please."

The hostess took her past all the tables in the main dining area, past the door to the kitchen, into a dimly lit hallway at the end of which was a door.

"Here we are. A waiter will be in shortly to take your drink order," the hostess announced and left.

"Uh, thank you?" Emma answered confusedly.

This was a first; a visit to a restaurant that somehow lead to her standing in front of a door instead of sitting at a table. She hadn't ordered a private room; she wasn't even aware that they offered the private room option here. Not that it would have been a less desirable option. She was rather fond of the idea of sharing her first dinner with Regina in a less public setting. But the restaurant wouldn't just upgrade her reservation on a whim which could only mean that Regina had something to do with it. Regina, who had considerably greater forethought than Emma, wanted to have her to herself the first time they met as well.

Emma opened the door and entered the room. There was someone sitting at the only table there already. Regina. Emma could see her dark hair from behind as she walked further into the room. She watched Regina get up and turn around. No picture could do Regina justice; Emma was certain of that now.

She halted her approach several feet away from Regina and simply took her in. And as she did so, the more familiar the woman in front of her seemed, as if she had seen her before, somewhere beyond their exchanges.

"I recognize you," Emma finally broke the silence in the room.

Regina laughed softly as she ran a hand through her hair before connecting her hands in front of her. Her laugh, something as simple as her real life laugh, sent warmth through Emma's body, the thought of which thrilled her.

"I would certainly hope so after the number of pictures I have sent," Regina joked, all the while smiling.

"No, I mean, yeah, but I meant that I recognize you from somewhere else. Like now that I see the whole, you look familiar, like I've seen you before," Emma insisted as the vague familiarity kept gnawing at the back of her mind.

Emma saw her visibly stiffen and momentarily worried that she had said something wrong. But she hadn't really said anything at all. Expressing recognition couldn't be considered as something unreasonably to say. In retrospect, there were many worse things that she could have said. But perhaps, that wasn't something that she should've lead with. Maybe the first thing she should've said was one of the million compliments that were battering inside her head wanting to be let out. But that wasn't the Emma way after all, her brain and her mouth sometimes operated on different wavelengths.

"That may be because I'm somewhat of a well-known actress," Regina spoke slowly but deliberately, giving Emma the impression that she had rehearsed the words beforehand.

There was silence, a tense silence, as Emma processed the words.

"Well, you did say you were in entertainment so I guess that makes sense." Emma said and saw Regina's posture relax. "Now there was some talk about not being able to keep your hands off, but for now I'll settle for a hug?"

Emma opened her arms uncertainly, leaving the choice up to Regina. Much to her relief, Regina walked into her arms. Emma hadn't realized how highly strung she was leading up to this meeting until she and Regina shared an embrace that relieved her of all her worries, of all the years and all the heartache. It all made sense, because good moments like this one lost their worth if they didn't have a counter-balance. Everything that had happened up until that moment was put into perspective; everything that had ever been wrong, found its balance. It felt right to be in her arms, to hold and be held by Regina.

As it turned out, Regina was a famous actress and Emma hadn't even realized because Emma was dumb and cinematically inept. Ask her about action movies and she would have been able to recite every single director that had ever touched those movies. Clearly, Regina must have worked on anything but action movies. Emma was too excited about seeing Regina to be concerned about what her being an actress might entail. She was, quite literally, too wrapped up in her to be bothered by anything.

"I ordered us a bottle of wine just before you came. I hope that's ok," Regina said as she broke away from the hug.

"I'm sure whatever you got is perfect," Emma reassured and sat down.

The waiter was seemingly in tune with what was happening inside the room as he walked in with a bottle of red wine at the most opportune time. There was tasting of the wine and assurance of quality, and if Emma had cared enough to pay attention to anything other than Regina, it would have still gone over her head. Her palate was simple when it came to liquor; alcohol and not alcohol. After a nod of approval from Regina, the waiter poured them each a glass of the wine.

Taking his leave, the waiter said, "I'll leave you to look through the menu before coming back for your orders."

Honestly, Emma loved a waiter who knew when to make himself scarce. But then again, she was starving. With all of the nerves leading to this date, she had neglected eating beyond absolute necessity. Necessity being the mandatory bear claw in the morning, and then the one for lunch, and of course the one she had as an afternoon snack. Those didn't really count though.

Emma glanced down towards the menu before looking back up at Regina and finding her eyes on her already. She couldn't help grinning. She grinned to the extent that she feared her jaw and cheek muscles would ache in the morning in a post-workout manner.

"I have to say that I was quite nervous about this, mostly about admitting what my profession is. I had no idea how you would react, it wasn't really a subject that we touched too much. Knowing you, however, I should've knows that there'd be no reason to worry.

"However, I'm happy that we're finally doing this," Regina finished her admission softly.

Emma smiled back at her and replied, "Me too."

Her mind may have been on Regina and the moment at hand, but her stomach had other ideas as it growled much too loudly to be within the acceptable limits of her embarrassment.

"It seems that I'm not the only one half-starved. Maybe we should have a look at the menu?" Regina said and indicated the menus.

"I already know what I'm having," was on the tip of Emma's tongue before she caught herself. She needed a distraction. She didn't want to be the creep who just stared and stared, too much in awe of Regina's presence to have anything to say. No one liked to be stared at for a lengthy period of time, especially the first time you meet them.

Once the waiter returned, they made their orders.

Leaning back in the chair, Emma asked, "How was your week? Other than super busy that is. I mean, I'm not really sure what actresses do, so how does a work day look like for you? It's like a whole new dimension of you suddenly opened up and I want to know more."

"It's honestly not that interesting. I spend most of my days memorizing lines and rehearsing with the rest of the cast." Regina answered, hoping to convey how mundane her work actually was despite popular belief, "I had more prep for my scenes this week than I usually have which is why I felt a bit overwhelmed by my work load."

Emma wasn't one to glorify any kind of job. Work was work, no matter which way you spun it. They each had perks and flaws, some more than others in either category, but the end result remained the same: food on the table and a roof over your head.

Having been enlightened in more detail about Regina's profession, her intentions with coming, and with Regina in general, hadn't changed. She wanted the real life Regina experience she had been wishing for in recent months, and if the date so far was any indication she was getting her wish.


	3. Chapter 3

Emma grabbed two bottles of beer from the refrigerator for herself and Ruby before joining her friends in the living room. Lately their get-togethers had been few and far between which Emma took a large portion of the blame for. It would seem that a flourishing relationship was time consuming. Not that Emma minded; a new relationship was supposed to be absorbing in all the fun, sexy ways, and she was enjoying every second of it.

On the coffee table, her phone vibrated indicating an incoming message. Her instant smile betrayed who the sender was. She sent a quick response before determinedly putting it away; tonight was about friends.

"So Emma, we haven't heard about your mystery lover recently," Ruby remarked bluntly. The last time Ruby beat around the bush where Emma was concerned was years and years ago. It was when she was coming to the realization of her gayness and probably needed a tender touch.

"Hey, Ruby. I'm fine. How about yourself?" Emma joked, making Ruby and Belle chuckle.

No matter how much she considered the time spent with her new girlfriend well spent, she had missed her chosen family. There were few things she treasured as much as the people who stuck by her. It was much like coming home, her safe haven, something that Regina has started to become a part of. There were few people that had persevered in her life, her parents being the first two who had ungraciously bowed out, which made those brave few who did valuable to her.

Belle took a sip from her wine, snuggled into the couch and placated her, "Hey, Emma. How are you?" Not waiting for a response, she urged, "So, how about that mystery lover?" emphasizing the 'so'. Ruby smirked at her ally.

And Belle was supposedly the more discreet and considerate of the two.

She thought that this evening was supposed to be old friends hanging out and not an ambush. Little did she know that Ruby and Belle had other plans; plans that they had probably drummed up all the times she cancelled because of Regina. Not because of Regina per se, but her desire to be disgustingly adorable with Regina.

When she let them know, in no uncertain terms, that they should ease up on their assault plan, their only response was that friends had an unspoken right to each other's love lives. Especially when their own was lackluster at best.

Their curiosity may not have been unfounded. Truth be told, she may have been a bit more secretive about Regina than was altogether necessary. Usually, they were first in line to learn about anything important happening in her life. But she was still enjoying the newness of it all and she had wanted to keep Regina all to herself.

"We're just curious, because you talked about her nonstop two months ago and then all of the sudden you didn't say anything about her at all. So what's up?" Ruby pressed.

Easy question, easy answer. Giving that answer, however, would lead to a plethora of new questions.

On the one hand, she could share her happiness with her friends and let them rejoice with her. On the other hand, she wanted to protect the safe little bubble that she and Regina had created; a bubble that she didn't want to pop just yet and jinx the whole thing. It was as if she was in a tug of war she never asked to participate in. She couldn't be sure which side she wanted to win. Deciding to do what she does best, she winged it.

"Remember how I told you that I was gonna ask her to meet?" Emma finally spoke. "Well, we met. And she's so much more in real life than I ever thought she could be."

The stream of questions had been expected, their main theme being curiosity had not been.

Relieved, Emma stated, "Wow, and here I thought you guys would be mad that I took so long to tell you." At that her two friends quieted. "Shit." Emma added under her breath. She decided to prevent further word vomit by taking a healthy sip of beer.

Fortunately, they were willing to negotiate, or give her two shitty options was more like: postpone the admonishment and get all their questions answered or get an earful for the rest of the evening. The lesser of two evils left Emma with a barrage of questions. Her responses were brief, but there was a generous amount of follow-up questions. When they found out that Regina was the Regina Mills, Ruby expressed frustration. She maintained that if Emma had let her view the pictures, she would've recognized her immediately thus bypassing all the secrecy.

Eventually, most of the story was laid out.

"I can't claim to know as much about celebrities as Ruby does, but even I know Regina Mills' story. She has a troubled past. Up until a few years ago she had a horrible reputation stemming from a lot of questionable activity. Are you familiar with the things she has done?" Belle asked carefully.

"Allegedly," Emma couldn't help but add in her head. They knew nothing about her, how could they possibly know the many aspects of her life, let alone her past?

"I don't want to know," Emma insisted, "at least not like that. I mean, if she wants to tell me I'm all ears. But I fell in love with her, the Regina that is a part of her past. I don't need to know all her deep dark secrets to know who she is.

"I haven't told her all about my shady past, because I'm not there yet. I want to afford her the same right, despite the fact that she's a public figure."

Ruby and Belle shared a look as Ruby took a gentle hold of Emma's hand and said, "All we are saying is be careful. There were mitigating circumstances in your case-."

Emma ripped her hand away, cutting Ruby off, "How do you know that there weren't in her case? What makes you think that the media painted the whole picture? You know me so you know the context behind my past. How about you give her the same courtesy before judging?"

Her friends had the good sense to look embarrassed. Being friends with Emma over the years had taught them to keep their assumptions to a minimum.

Yet when they expressed their fears about the public scrutiny that being with Regina might lead to, Emma unwillingly paid attention. Thinking things through had never been her strong suit and jumping straight into a relationship with Regina without considering the implications was no exception. She wasn't even sure what being a celebrity's girlfriend would entail and what was actually expected of her. Things like whether answering the door in her underwear was a no-go anymore were brought to the forefront of her mind.

Maybe a more thorough inspection of her thoughts and feelings was in order, followed closely by a long, exhaustive conversation with Regina. But that would have to wait. She was determined to not have the friends-night be ruined, least of all by her over-protective friends.

* * *

To satisfy her own curiosity, Emma had looked even though she had been determined not to. She had after careful, albeit short, consideration decided that she needed to be more informed if she was going to have a quality discussion with Regina later. Opening Google, she had typed in Regina's name in the Google search box and clicked the topmost link just to get a general idea of what to expect. The biggest surprise had been that the article was tagged under Regina's name, but its focus was Emma herself. She couldn't decide if she was lucky because she hadn't yet violated Regina's privacy or if she should be disturbed that her own had been. The search had ended there as it had already gone too far and she had already found out more than she wanted.

Her pacing was wearing out the wooden floor. For the past few hours, she hadn't been able to sit still. The uncertainty of how to handle a situation like this left her a restless pile of anxiety. She had never been scrutinized in this manner before.

There was a mixture of emotions brewing inside her, tearing her mind every which way. It was hardest to wrap her head around why someone found her interesting enough to write about. She wasn't anyone important last time she checked. At least not to the world in large.

All of the sudden, Emma stopped mid-step. The sound of the front door opening hadn't surprised her since she and Regina had made plans for the rest of the evening, or night as it was. She heard her take off her jacket and then the sound of hangers banging against each other.

"You will not believe the day I had," Regina's approaching voice sounded amused. When she saw the look on Emma's face, she grew concerned, "Emma, what's wrong?"

She approached the desk and opened her laptop, finding the article once again. They approached each other, worry worn clearly on Regina's face. Indicating the picture on the screen, she questioned, "Did you know about this?"

The facial expression Regina was currently wearing suggested shock. Emma's disconcerted state left no room for her to consider her feelings though.

"Emma, as far as I know you don't read tabloids. How did you find it to begin with?" Regina managed once the initial shock wore off.

"I may have googled your name to get an idea of the life of a celebrity or whatever." Emma replied cautiously. "Look, before you say anything, I realize how bad that is, ok? I don't want to read about your past, I want you to tell me when you're comfortable to do so. I messed up and I'm sorry. But I'm a bundle of emotions right now, because I'm in the damn tabloids. The tabloids where my past is being aired out. And I don't have a clue how to feel about it so I'm pretty much feeling everything."

Regina sought to reassure her, reaching out for her hand, but Emma pulled away.

"Regina, it's not going to be ok. How did they even get this information? It was all sealed. And besides that, they didn't even write the whole story. They don't even know the whole story. I can't believe this is happening right now.

"What am I gonna do? What about my job? Clients that may not trust me if they see this.

"I mean, I was expecting some attention, but going to the extent of illegally accessing sealed records seems like a step, or a billion, too far." Emma ranted, her fists clenched and her cheeks rosy.

Emma slumped down onto the well-worn couch where she was soon joined by Regina. When she made a grab for her hand this time, Emma allowed it, taking a fierce hold.

Regina swallowed before she spoke soothingly, "It's going to be ok. Your association with me was bound to lead to this. I just didn't think it would happen so soon; I'm sorry that this happened.

"I'll contact my publicist so we can figure out who to sue first. I won't let them get away with this. My girlfriend is off limits."

She let herself be drawn into Regina's arm who rubbed circles on her back. Security was something she had lacked in years past, but embraced by Regina she finally had it. All hell could break loose tomorrow, and it wouldn't have mattered.

"I didn't do it." Emma whimpered into Regina's shoulder, "I mean, I'm not the one who did the stealing.

"It's ok if you don't want to be with me anymore. You didn't sign up to be with a criminal. I won't hold you to any promises or commitments."

Regina's now damp shoulder felt uncomfortable against her cheek so she lifted her head, covering it with her hands. Her girlfriend pulled her back to her shoulder, seeking to be closer to her and prevent Emma from distancing herself.

"Communication. Make yourself clear about what's going on in your head, for god's sake." Emma thought, adding out loud, "Your shoulder is wet making my cheek feel sticky."

Regina's grip loosened once she realized what she was being told and apologized wetly.

"I have had things written about me in media as well. Not all of it has been strictly true, more than some of it has been skewed.

"I must say that I'm surprised that you did a stint in prison, but it doesn't change how I feel about you. I trust you. And what's more, we are more than our pasts; I remind myself of that every day."

It was comforting to know that Regina shared her opinion on the topic and that her past wasn't a deal breaker. Not a lot of people were comfortable with being around a felon.

"You know how I was with my friends earlier today?" Regina nodded. "They suggested, and I'm paraphrasing here, that I ask about this past of yours. But I want you to know that it doesn't matter to me either. Who you were before, doesn't have to be the person you were today.

"As you well know, I'm the last person who would make assumptions based on the person you were. Cause I'm not the person I used to be. I mean if you think I'm a free soul right now, you should've seen me back then. At least I have roots now. God, does any of that even make sense? My thoughts are still jumbled and I'm trying the get my mind straight, but apparently it's refusing to cooperate."

Regina smiled, a wide smile, that left Emma momentarily breathless and in confusion over what it was they were talking about. It was as if her mere presence took a load off and Emma's concerns became nothing more than mild nuisances.

Security was such a rare thing to have; someone to rely on and hold on to. By sheer dumb luck and the inexplicable Swan-charm, Emma had managed to get herself a big dose of it.


End file.
